Is It Safe To Dose With MMJ If You Have Coronavirus?

COVID-19 is a serious illness, especially when it comes to how it can impact the health of the lungs. Many people who dose with MMJ do so through smoking or vaping, which can also affect the lungs. Understandably, you may be wondering: is it safe to dose with MMJ if you have coronavirus? Here’s everything you need to know.

Are MMJ Users More At Risk From COVID-19?

Since COVID-19 attacks the lungs, and since inhaled substances can have an impact on the respiratory system, it makes sense to stop smoking MMJ if you have coronavirus. Researchers have found that cannabis smoke causes irritation to the lungs as well as microscopic injury to the tiny cells that line the lungs. When you expose lung tissues to smoke, you can increase the body’s inflammatory response – something that can be a problem if you have coronavirus.

While healthy people may easily handle the lung irritation that comes from smoking MMJ, a person with coronavirus may not be able to. That’s why it’s important to keep irritants to your lungs to a minimum if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19.

It’s also important to note that bronchitis is an established side effect of inhaling cannabis smoke. That’s why some regular users will develop chest congestion and a cough. These symptoms are normally temporary, but during a pandemic that impacts the health of the lungs, it can be a good idea to avoid cannabis smoke.

Other risk factors for lung injury include:

  • Your age
  • Whether you have allergies or not
  • Whether you have other issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or an autoimmune disease that puts you at higher risk

 

MMJRecs - marijuana recriminalized

Image by Roberto Valdivia on Unsplash: Researchers don’t yet know the exact relationship between cannabis and coronavirus.

Should You Be Smoking MMJ If You Have SARS-CoV-2?

Vaping may seem less dangerous than smoking, but the truth is that the ways vaping impacts the health of the lungs simply isn’t known. Plus, some vape cartridges have been thinned with polyethylene glycol or vitamin E acetate, which can destroy lung tissue. (If you’re buying your MMJ cartridges from a legitimate MMJ dispensary, chances are you won’t run into those products.)

If you do choose to vape, make sure it’s with a device that allows for temperature control, since higher temperatures can damage the lung tissue. You can further reduce harm by:

  • Using a flower vaporizer in place of a vape pen
  • Washing your hands before and after you vape
  • Sterilizing the mouthpiece between inhalations with alcohol
  • Keeping temperatures for vaping low – around 390 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Vaping outside and away from others
  • Taking small doses of vapor instead of larger ones to help reduce coughing

Precautions If You’ve Been Diagnosed With COVID-19

If you have been diagnosed with coronavirus, you will need to take precautions to ensure you don’t spread it to others. That means you shouldn’t share any type of device used to dose MMJ.

You should also try to reduce your chances of coughing when dosing, since that can send infected droplets through the air. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after you sneeze, cough, or touch your face. And be sure not to share small spaces with others in your household, especially the bathroom.

Should You Abstain From MMJ With Coronavirus?

There’s no reason not to dose with MMJ safely if you have COVID-19, as long as you explore other ways to take it that don’t involve inhaling. Think about shifting to edibles while sick – you don’t want to miss out on MMJ’s therapeutic benefits while you’re ill, such as:

  • Helping to control inflammation
  • Helping with anxiety
  • Helping to deal with pain and discomfort

There is some evidence that MMJ may also help you to breathe better in small doses, as well as help to quell the inflammatory response called a cytokine storm that has been dangerous to many coronavirus patients.

If you have coronavirus, go ahead and dose with MMJ as you ensure you’re resting appropriately to help your body to heal.

 

Image by Kimzy Nanney on Unsplash: Can cannabis and CBD affect coronavirus? It’s possible.

CBD Oil And Coronavirus

CBD oil has some established antibacterial and antiviral properties, but its best feature is that it helps to control inflammation. Coronavirus ravages the body through inflammation, so anything that can help to reduce overall inflammation is a good thing.

Coronavirus is scary, but it doesn’t mean you should stop therapeutically taking MMJ. You may want to adjust the delivery method with the health of your lungs in mind, but overall, MMJ just might help to keep you healthy.

Featured image by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash